VITALE - Gillispie, Tech Need To Part Ways

COMMENTARY

Time for Tech, Gillispie to part ways

Updated: September 11, 2012, 2:16 PM ET
By Dick Vitale
Cliff Welch/Icon SMI

Billy Gillispie has been told to not have any contact with the Texas Tech program at this time.

The situation down at Texas Tech is a challenging one.

Right now, coach Billy Gillispie is taking sick days and he has been told to stay away from the program for the moment.

Gillispie recently spent time in the hospital due to high blood pressure. As far as I am concerned, the only thing that should matter to the coach right now is his health. He has to take measures to take care of himself physically, mentally and emotionally.

There has been a lot of controversy over the Red Raiders program. A number of players have come forward to complain about tactics employed by the coach, including minor violations over practice time.

If half of the allegations are true, Texas Tech has no choice but to move in a different direction with the program.

After the allegations came out, the program went into a total state of chaos. In the world of recruiting, would you send your child to that program at this point? Would you want the man known as Billy the Kid to be coaching your son after hearing all of this?

It is time to go in a different direction, as both parties need a change.

For the current coach, he must forget about winning, forget about his role with Texas Tech and get healthy and stronger. At that point, he should also step aside.

My gut feeling is this situation will be settled with a buyout, which will see Gillispie leave Lubbock.

I originally thought the Texas Tech program would be ideal for Gillispie, who had success in the state before. Kentucky did not seem like the right fit for him, compared to his days at UTEP and Texas A&M, as well as his days as a Texas high school coach.

The desire to have a winning program has taken its toll. Gillispie is clearly frustrated and now he has behaved in an irrational manner.

Texas Tech has the potential to build a winner. Robert Montgomery Knight had some success in Lubbock. The Red Raiders are in a solid conference, the Big 12, so the competition is there.

This is a situation that needs to be resolved. Gillispie needs to get healthy, and so does the Texas Tech program.

He's gone now and hopefully won't spread his slimeful degrading ways to any other young man.